NFL Handicapping Articles

NFL Betting Predictions: Week 3 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/19/2016

As I'm sure you know by now, if your team starts 0-2 it's unlikely to make the playoffs while a 2-0 start means you can probably make postseason plans. Since 2007, 75 teams have started 0-2, and just seven of those made the playoffs -- two did last year, though, the Texans and Seahawks. Meanwhile, in the 75 times a team has started 2-0 in the past nine years, 44 made the postseason. But last year the Falcons and Cowboys were 2-0 teams to miss out.

NFL Odds: Week 2 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 9/16/2016

I don't even know what to say at this point about the "Factory of Sadness" that is the Cleveland Browns. When my NFL Opening Line Report story posted on Monday, it was known that Robert Griffin III had hurt his non-throwing shoulder in the Browns' Week 1 blowout loss in Philadelphia. Griffin and the team acted like it was nothing.

NFL Betting and Handicapping: Possible ATS Disappointments for 2016
by Trevor Whenham - 9/16/2016

Bettors love NFL teams that cover a lot of spreads. That isn't exactly rocket science. The challenge is, though, that it isn't always easy to figure out in advance which teams are going to be good against the spread. Too often, teams that look like they have it going on heading into the season find ways to disappoint once things get rolling. We are only one game into this new season, but already we can start to have an inkling of teams that might not be able to live up to the expectations that a lot of bettors seemed to have for them.

NFL Wagering and Handicapping: Confusing Teams to Bet On
by Trevor Whenham - 9/16/2016

It's early in the NFL season, but already there are some teams that we know everything we need to know about to make good betting decisions. We know that the Patriots are the robots they always are, the Browns are even worse than we thought, and that shockingly two Ryans aren't better than one in Buffalo. Unfortunately, for every team that we know a lot about, there are about five that are really confusing. How in the world, for example, did Carson Wentz look so good in his debut for Philly, and can he do it again?

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 2
by Victor Ryan - 9/15/2016

With Week 1 of the NFL season in the books, handicappers now have at least some empirical evidence from which to possibly draw conclusions for wagering. But remember, it's just one week. Last week's performance does not define a particular team, unit or player. It does give us a clue to future production, however.

NFL Totals Betting Picks: Week 2 Over and Under Odds and Expert Predictions
by Victor Ryan - 9/15/2016

Below are four select NFL totals plays for Week 2 with analysis and betting strategies. As you will note, three of the four plays are "under", with the lone exception being the big AFC North showdown between the Bengals and Steelers in Pittsburgh. Also, if you are interested in more free pro football picks click here.

Monday Night Football Predictions: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears Odds & Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/15/2016

If I'm being honest, this week's "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Eagles and Bears looks like one of the worst MNF games of the year because I fully expect both clubs to finish below .500. But I can all but guarantee you that it won't be as bad as last week's MNF nightcap in San Francisco, where the 49ers beat the Rams 28-0 -- a game in which Los Angeles set back offensive football about 40 years.

Free NFL Picks: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 9/14/2016

I don't know what it is about the Pittsburgh Steelers that they bring out the hatred in some teams (they are usually good, so that's one thing). The NFL's most-heated rivalry used to be Steelers-Ravens when guys like Troy Polamalu and Ray Lewis were still around. Now it has to be Steelers-Bengals, and they renew hostilities on Sunday in Pittsburgh's home opener. It's one of two AFC playoff rematches from last season in Week 2, with Chiefs-Texans the other (click here for more free picks for both games).

NFL Betting Trends for Help with Pro Football Wagering
by Victor Ryan - 9/14/2016

Home teams and favorites took the worst of it against the spread in the opening week of the NFL season. Out of 16 games, just six favorites managed to cover in Week 1. Home teams fared even worse with a 5-11 ATS record. How vulnerable were favorites in Week 1? Consider this: They went just 8-8 straight up, obviously a win rate of 50 percent. That's way below normal. To give you an idea, though not exactly apples to apples, college football favorites this season are winning straight up at an 83.5 percent clip.

Free NFL Picks: New York Jets at Buffalo Bills Odds and Expert Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 9/13/2016

My choice to be the first coach fired this season was Buffalo's Rex Ryan at +1000 when that prop was out at BetOnline, and he might be gone after this game if the Bills are stomped at home by the rival New York Jets on Thursday night to fall to 0-2.

NFL Betting Predictions: Week 2 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/12/2016

We still have two games to go on Monday night, but what a fantastic opening weekend of the NFL season. The week started with reigning Super Bowl champion Denver winning at home against Carolina on a missed Panthers field goal at the end, and Sunday concluded with New England winning at Arizona (in a potential Super Bowl preview) without Tom Brady on a missed Cardinals field goal at the end. There were four games that were decided by one point, the first time in NFL history that four games have been decided by exactly one point on kickoff weekend.

Straight from the Bookmaker's Mouth: Betting Impact of RG3 Injury in Cleveland
by Victor Ryan - 9/12/2016

So what's the betting impact of Josh McCown replacing the injured Robert Griffin III at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, you ask? Depends on who's answering. It appears bookmakers and the betting public have opposing opinions when it comes to the signal-caller shakeup in Cleveland.

NFL Odds: Week 1 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Alan Matthews - 9/9/2016

If the Thursday night season opener is any indication, this will be a fantastic NFL season. I will admit I had zero confidence in Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, but he played fairly well as Denver pulled off a 21-20 upset over Carolina as a 3-point home dog in the Super Bowl 50 rematch. That last-second 50-yard field-goal attempt by Graham Gano had everyone who bet the total on pins and needles. The total was set at 42 to start the week and when I previewed the game, and obviously if Gano makes that it goes over and yet the Panthers still don't cover -- I had recommended under.

NFL Betting and Wagering Advice: Biggest Mismatches Week 1
by Victor Ryan - 9/9/2016

Any NFL head coach will tell you a critical component to success in pro football is exploiting matchups. A perfect example of this came last year in a Week 8 matchup between the Giants and Saints. The Giants had a historically-bad pass defense last season, which wound up allowing just a shade under 300 YPG through the air (298.9). Meanwhile, Drew Brees and the Saints once again had the league's top aerial attack (310.6 YPG). The result? Brees went 39-of-50 for 505 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-49 Saints win.

2016 Pittsburgh Steelers Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

Allegedly the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most talented teams in football and are a Super Bowl contender in the wide-open AFC. However, injuries, suspensions and all manner of impediments continue to keep us from seeing what this team can do at full strength. So is the potential for a championship a myth or not?

2016 Kansas City Chiefs Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

With a season win total of 9.5, I can't exactly say that the Chiefs are underrated heading into the season. And even the most optimistic of Kansas City fan would acknowledge that this team doesn't quite have the look of a Super Bowl contender. Yet despite that I still feel like Kansas City's brain trust of Andy Reid and Alex Smith still don't get the credit they deserve.

2016 Indianapolis Colts Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

If you watched the Colts at all this preseason, it's as if you could feel the anxiety and the tension surrounding this team. From owner Jim Irsay's reaction to the cancelled Hall of Fame Game to the hostility any time someone is asked about the friction between coach Chuck Pagano and embattled general manager Ryan Grigson, there are just not good vibes surrounding this Colts team. And I think the reason is that a lot of people know that they are going to lose their jobs in six months.

2016 New Orleans Saints Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

The Saints have had back-to-back losing seasons and have finished 7-9 three times in four years. They appear to be a franchise flailing rather than the dominant NFC South power we saw between 2009-2011. With Drew Brees and Sean Payton they still have a chance. But this team has a lot more questions than answers heading into the 2016 campaign.

2016 San Diego Chargers Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

San Diego is one of the sunniest places in the country. So it is ironic that a dark cloud hangs over this Chargers franchise. The specter of a move from the city that has hosted this team for over 50 years has cast a pall on this entire organization. Add in public relations disasters, poor front office management, and then some run-of-the-mill bad luck (injuries, etc.), and the Chargers are a team that really doesn't know what direction it is going.

2016 Oakland Raiders Expert Predictions and Season Win Totals Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 9/9/2016

After nearly two decades of being one of the biggest jokes in the NFL, the Raiders enter the 2016 season as Everybody's Sleeper Team. Every bobblehead media member has been gushing over Oakland for the past three months, and for the first time that I can remember this team enters the season with legitimate expectations.